Immigration and Mental Health: Immigration to Homecoming

3 CEs Recorded: Summer, 2025

This workshop about the impact of immigration on mental health of immigrants presents an opportunity for licensed therapists to learn about trauma-informed, culturally-attuned therapeutic care to immigrant clients from all over the world. A quick web search about training programs about the mental health needs of immigrants reveals that there is limited knowledge and discussion about the immigration process and unique needs of immigrant communities based on their immigration pathways. 

Immigration status is a variable that intersects with a range of other identity variables (Tahirih Justice Center, 2023) and provides nuance to the inner world of immigrant clients, especially those who may be new to therapy. 

Migration to the U.S. has grown steadily over the last few decades. Migration has been for reasons as varied as education and labor opportunities, family reunification and escape from war, persecution and other traumatic experiences. Whether by choice (“pull factors” that attract immigrants to the U.S.) or by necessity (“push factors” that necessitate migration out of their home countries), immigrants face a host of psychological, socioeconomic challenges and stressors during and after migrating. These profoundly affect their mental health and quality of life (Shea & Wong, 2022). 

This workshop is presented by Gitika Talwar, PhD (Licensed Clinical-Community Psychologist) who will draw upon her personal experience as a first-generation immigrant, immigration activist, and her professional experience in serving international students, first-generation immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the United States. Dr Talwar’s dissertation had focused on the immigration experiences of people who migrated from Afghanistan to the U.S. between 1965 and 2012. 

Course Objectives:

1. Attendees will reflect on their understanding and personal experience with immigration 
2. Attendees will gain knowledge about multiple pathways of immigration and access to resources 
3. Attendees will learn about neurobiological and psychosocial impact of migration 
4. Attendees will recognize ways to expand their therapeutic prompts and practices to include the needs of immigrant community